Roofing Contractor Faces Expensive Fines for Negligence

Posted By Katz Leidman Grossman Wolfe & Freund || 6-Feb-2013

Construction workers and roofing installation workers are among some of the most at-risk employees in the United States. Often these workers are faced with dangerous situations and they need to take precautions in order to avoid injuries and unintentional deaths. Contractors are required to take safety measures and purchase any cables, padding, or other safety restraints necessary for their workers. A roofing contractor in New York failed to put the safety of his crew before all else, and he has now been cited for serious, willful, repeat violations of workplace safety standards. Workers were installing a roof on the O’Connor Road in Fairport when the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration discovered that the workers were in extreme danger.

The OSHA came for a surprise inspection at the work site, which is when they discovered that the employees on the roof were at risk to falls between 15 and 30 feet and no preventative measures had been taken. There was a safety monitor at the site but he was not positioned close to the employees that were in danger and he was not actively telling them about fall hazards. The OSHA issued the contractor a willful citation with a $70,000 fine for his actions. This was specifically because of the poor placement of the safety monitor. Because the contractor had committed a similar offense in the past, he was also issued a repeat violation. The contractor was then cited against for not providing medical evaluations for his employees and for failing to give them the training that they needed.

He never required his employees to wear respirators when working in areas where they were necessary and he allowed untrained employees to operate equipment. After all the citations were issued, this contractor faced up to $160,000 in fines. If you have been put in a dangerous situation by an uncaring contractor, then you need to talk to an attorney today for more information. You may have the right to sue for workers' compensation if you were harmed or were put in a dangerous situation. Contact this New York workers' compensation firm today for more information!